(Pre Trip) Memphis, TN

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Blog, “Hutchison School in China”.

My name is John Stephany and I teach 8th grade World History at Hutchison School in Memphis, TN. The curriculum of the class I teach focuses on China, India, Ancient Greece/Rome, and the Middle East. At the beginning of last summer I applied for a program with the approval and help of Hutchison School, Judi Centko (Outgoing MS Head and current Alumnae Director), Hollis Ligon (MS Dean of Students), and Dr. Melanie Rosebrock (Current MS Head) and was lucky enough to be accepted. The program is a two week study tour of China and Japan. As a member of this study tour or group will visit Shanghai and Beijing in China and Nagoya, Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka in Japan.

The Columbia University NCTA (National Consortium for Teaching about Asia) National Coordinating Site and affiliated NCTA Partner Sites (UT Chattanooga) from around the country are sponsoring NCTA alumni the opportunity to participate in a two-week study tour to establish class-to-class collaborative links with partner classrooms in these countries. The study tour is supported by funding from the Freeman Foundation. A few years ago I participated in a two week summer seminar sponsored by NCTA at the Croft Institute for International Studies at Ole Miss and as a result was eligible to apply for this study tour.

Here are the goals of the study tour as stated by the NCTA at Columbia University:

1. to provide individual educators with professional development opportunities that will help expand their understanding of East Asia through visits to China and Japan or Korea;
2. to explore ways for classrooms in the U.S., China, and Japan or Korea to be linked digitally during the school year for collaborative teaching and learning that will expand the horizons and mutual understanding of students in these countries.

I feel fortunate because as many of you know I was in China as part of Fulbright-Hays group project sponsored by the Confucius Institute at the University of Memphis for five weeks this past summer. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I feel blessed to be able to go back and allow more access to history and culture of China and Japan for my students.

This is blog is designed to allow access to my 8th grade World History class, the students at Hutchison School in Memphis, TN, and anyone who cares to visit to my two week educational tour of China and Japan.

What will be on the blog? Good Question.

I hope to post articles, photos, video, commentary, and general fun from the trip. It will also allow my students, and others, to comment or ask questions. Think of a hybrid, but not professional, blend of the Travel and History Channels, a sort of “Amazing Race”, minus the competition. I hope this blog will educate and entertain.

The picture below is an entertaining one from this past summer, I enjoy making light of myself

Suffice to say, climbing the Great Wall is taxing!

I will apologize in advance for grammar, spelling, and syntax mistakes. I tour is packed with site seeing, school visits, and information sessions. My time will focused on those items and not as much on editing skills, sorry Mrs. Lawrence. I am not a professional writer or photographer, so please understand. The real work and utilization of this experience will be back in the classroom for the students as we utilize any partnerships our group hopes to establish.

So stay tuned and I hope WE all learn something useful.